Crosby really has no burning desire to head to hockey hotbeds Montreal or Toronto, either. Sid the Kid from Nova Scotia is quite happy in Pittsburgh, and might be content to grow up there for many years.

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"It depends on the person and the personality, what you want and what's important to you," the 21-year-old Penguins captain said. "I live a pretty simple life. I want to play somewhere people are interested in the sport and for an organization that cares. I've got a lot of that in Pittsburgh. I feel pretty fortunate to be there. It's not the biggest city, but it's a city I really like."

Crosby won't be faced with a decision until at least after the 2012-13 season upon the expiration of his current contract, a five-year extension signed in 2007.

Already the face of the NHL with endorsement deals with Reebok and others well in hand, Crosby doesn't need to head to Madison Avenue to increase his exposure. He can pick the place that makes him the happiest and gives him the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.

The Penguins reached the finals last season, Crosby's third in the league, before losing to Detroit in six games.

"Hockey is my focus," Crosby said. "If the opportunity comes and it fits, great, but I'm not setting myself up in a place because of the marketing opportunities. I want to play in the best environment hockey-wise and I feel like I have that in Pittsburgh."

STARRING ON HOME ICE: The upcoming All-Star game was already slated to celebrate the rich tradition of the Montreal Canadiens in the team's 100th season.

If the current Eastern Conference voting holds up for another month, this year's club will be fully involved in the festivities.

The Canadiens are in position to fill all six positions in the East starting lineup for the Jan. 25 game at Montreal's Bell Centre, according to voting results released this week by the NHL. They could become the first team to be represented at every position in the All-Star starting lineup, not counting games that pitted the reigning Stanley Cup champions against other league stars.

Voting will continue online and through text messaging through Jan. 2.

GREAT RETURNS: Wayne Gretzky didn't put up numbers with the Rangers in quite as prolific a manner as he did in his younger days with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.

Yet, Madison Square Garden - which boldly bills itself as the World's Most Famous Arena - will forever hold an important place in his heart. It was there that the Great One's Hall of Fame playing career ended in 1999.

Gretzky was back in New York last week behind the Phoenix Coyotes bench. The visit was nice even if the result wasn't what he wanted. The Coyotes lost to the Rangers 4-1 on Monday, stretching their losing streak to six. (0-4-2).

"It's not just another arena," Gretzky said. "The atmosphere here is pretty special. The high you can get and the excitement you can have from walking in this building can be extremely positive, so you just try to encourage them to enjoy it and soak it in and ride the wave.

"It's a pretty unique place, the city's a really unique city. It's a great opportunity for these young guys to see something pretty special." Gretzky is 1-1 as a coach at the Garden, including a 5-1 win last Dec. 16. He spent three seasons with the Rangers, posting 57 goals and 192 assists in 234 regular-season games and another 10 goals and 10 assists in 15 postseason contests.

His career ended on April 18, 1999, when the Rangers wrapped up a non-playoff season with an overtime loss to Pittsburgh.

"They were three of the greatest years I've ever had in my life," Gretzky said. "I made a lot of friends, made a lot of great memories. It's always great to come back to the Garden." Now if he can only get his team back on a productive path, Gretzky would really enjoy the second phase of his hockey life. Phoenix carried a 9-10-2 mark into the weekend, and sat in fourth place in the Pacific Division - two points ahead of last-place Dallas.

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"There's always ups and downs," Gretzky said. "With the young guys, I'm fine. That's kind of like parenting. Kids are going to make mistake. I get a little more frustrated when the older guys make mistakes.

"They've had some days that are tough, but all in all, it's been way more positive, and the atmosphere is extremely positive in the locker room."

The Capitals rallied in last season's final days to capture the title, erasing a rough start that led to coach Glen Hanlon's firing on Thanksgiving. Washington raced out of the gate this season and held a three-point edge over the Carolina Hurricanes heading into the weekend.

With one-quarter of this season having been played, Washington showed the largest gain in points compared to the same time last year. The Capitals went 11-6-3 (25 points) in their first 20 games after a 6-13-1 mark (14 points) in 2007. San Jose and Pittsburgh shared second place with nine-point surges over last season.

New York blew a big lead earlier this season at home to the Canadiens.

"It's obviously bad," said Islanders defenseman Mark Streit, formerly of the Canadiens. "It's tough but he's going to bounce back. We were up 4-1 and we lost and nobody felt bad for us, you know? "We just wanted to have that win."